Week 4

 As we get deeper into conference play, more and more big games start to show up on the schedule.  Last week had some entertaining games, but this week will be even better.  These are the five games you should watch:

Arkansas @ Alabama (9/24 at 3:30 pm ET, on CBS)

Bobby Petrino will be taking his Hogs into Alabama with a full head of steam after a lethargic win over Troy, the Trojans simply standing in their way as the calm before the storm.  He has his defense hitting harder than in years past, and they're going to need to be on top of their game to stop powerful RB Trent Richardson behind that big, nasty OL.  That said, the line of scrimmage will determine this game on both sides of the ball.  If Arkansas can't stop Richardson and at least keep the pressure on AJ McCarron, then we'll be hearing "TD Richardson" and "TD Marquis Maze" all afternoon long.  If Alabama's hard-nosed D handles Arky's front, which is very probable, making the outstanding Arky WRs like Joe Adams and Cobi Hamilton irrelevant, then we know how this one will play out.  But I believe the Pigs will be ready and able to get the ball to their playmakers, so expect the same all-out brawl we got last year.

Prediction: It's in Tuscaloosa, which is always a formidable venue to escape with a win.  Bama by 9.

Oklahoma State @ Texas A&M (9/24 at 3:30 pm ET, on ABC or ESPN2/ESPN3) - Game of the Week

This battle between the #7 ranked Cowpokes and the #8 ranked Aggies is without a doubt the most promising match-up of the week.  Both teams are undefeated and bring in soaring offenses that have put up eye-opening numbers.  OSU has scored 157 points in 3 games (just over 52 per game on average), while A&M Has put up 83 in two games (41.5 on average).  For Okie State, Brandon Weeden has thrown for 8 TDs, 3 of which were to arguably the nation's best WR in Justin Blackmon, while Joseph Randle has run for 7.  But A&M won't be outdone, with 1 less game, Ryan Tannehill has thrown 4 TDs, 2 to Ryan Swope, with speedy RB Cyrus Gray running for 4 TDs of his own.  This one truly might come down to which team gets the ball last, and definitely which team makes the last mistake. 

Prediction: In a game that will meet the media hype, Okie State wins by 6.

Florida State @ Clemson (9/24 at 3:30 pm ET, on ESPN/ESPN3)

Jimbo Fisher's Seminoles had the wind knocked out of their sails last week with their tough home loss to top-ranked Oklahoma.  But they better get back off the ground in a hurry because they're off to undefeated Clemson, which defeated reigning national champions Auburn last week by a score of 38-24.  Clemson is loaded with speed as always, but it's QB Tajh Boyd who has been opening eyes, having already thrown for 10 TDs on the young season, including 4 last week against Auburn.  Their defense still shows weakness however, and that might be trouble against an FSU team looking for blood.  For the Seminoles, the main problem has been what we expected: the lack of a superstar QB.  Their running game, currently led by QB EJ Manuel who doesn't have a rushing TD, has been less than stellar as well.  But defense will win this game, and FSU is anchored by German behemoth Bjoern Werner, along with excellent athletes like Valdosta, GA native Greg Reid.

Prediction:  FSU comes out angry and cracks Clemson by 12. 

Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (9/24 at 7:00 pm ET, on ESPN2/ESPN3)

 Wait, what?  Vanderbilt?  Why... wait, they're undefeated?

Yeah, Vanderbilt.  I'm not sure if they'll make another appearance on my "Games to Watch" list, but they deserve it for the time being, having come off a close victory against Connecticut and a blowout over Ole Miss.  The fact is, despite QB Larry Smith still not lighting it up (even though he has an underrated WR/TE combo in Chris Boyd and Brandon Barden), Vanderbilt has actually got a decent team, and a lot of credit should be given to head coach James Franklin.  But now they're headed to their strongest opponent yet, The Old Ball Coach's USCe Gamecocks led by the best underclassmen RB in the nation, Marcus Lattimore.  Lattimore has already run for over 500 yards and 7 TDs, and if Vandy's good but thin DL can't hold him, then I might regret choosing this game as one of the top 5.  But I do believe that Franklin's staff will make this much closer than anyone thinks (nobody thought Navy would nearly upset USCe either), though it'll take a career performance from Larry Smith to pull off the win.

Prediction: It stays close early on, but SC gets the win by 10.

USC @ Arizona State (9/24 at 10:15 pm ET, on ESPN/ESPN3)

Arizona State had huge hype coming into the season, and it definitely looked as if they would break through this time after a thrilling OT win over Missouri.  But their big dreams perhaps crashed back to earth after a highly disappointing 17-14 loss at Illinois.  They'll try to bounce back on a tough team to do so on, the USCw Trojans, but fortunately they're at home.  USCw dismantled lowly Syracuse last week after sluggish wins against Utah and Minnesota, but maybe they're finally finding their groove.  Matt Barkley is the real deal at QB with 9 TDs to only 1 INT, but against ASU's ferocious D, they'll need more of a running game than RB Marc Tyler has provided thus far.  6'8 Brock Osweiler continues to lead the ASU attack despite some inconsistencies, but we know it's going to be up to their defense and awesome MLB Vontaze Burfict.  It'll be a great defensive showdown, and we might be in for a surprise.

Prediction: Arizona State pulls off the upset at home by 3.